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Two public hearings planned at Tuesday’s supervisors meeting

By Ty Rushing Daily News Staff Writer

April 22, 2013

The Jasper County Board of Supervisors will hold two public hearings when it meets on Tuesday. One hearing will focus on Ordinance 61 and the other will focus on a road vacation request put forth by County Engineer Russ Stutt.

The hearing on Ordinance 61 will be the third reading and hearing on the proposed ordinance change. This is the second go-round for the ordinance. The original version was highly criticized by some Jasper County residents, and the resulting criticism forced the board and County Sanitarian Kevin Luetters to recreate the plan.

A second draft proved to be more popular with citizens after the first public hearing, as Luetters’ proposed 200-foot rule was dropped in favor of abiding by the state code. However, the second hearing was met with more resistance after representatives from Central Iowa Water Association showed up last Tuesday night.

CIWA employee Duane Rozendall and CIWA attorney Frank Smith presented the board with its own version of the ordinance that included rewording in the following sections: 6.1, 6.2.3, 6.2.3.1, and 6.2.3.2.

Major points of the ordinance as Luetters has drafted will include, creating a Jasper County Environmental Health Department, requiring a $50 distributor box fee/permit, allowing current on-site wastewater treatment systems to remain in place, unless they become classified as a health or environmental hazard.

“I understand your position, but I also have mine too,” Stevenson said. “I will consider this, but I’m just telling you I struggle with it.”

The road vacation hearing is expected to be open and shut. Stutt originally proposed the hearing to the board on April 10th. The proposed vacated road, if approved, would encompass close to a mile and take place at West 96th Street North in section 7-81N-20W in the Independence Township of Jasper County. Stutt also mentioned that four property owners within the vicinity of the road put in the request.

Staff writer Ty Rushing may be contacted at (641) 792-3121, ext. 426, or at trushing@newtondailynews.com.

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